Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Who said coups were a thing of the past in Africa? Almost every country in Africa has experienced a coup. Mauritania’s President and Prime Minister have been taken into custody by the military in an apparent military coup. Officers seized power in 2005 and the country has since been trying to live the "democracy dream" after successful elections in 2007. The country has been gripped by political unrest after a vote of no confidence was passed in the cabinet. Mauritania remains one of the world’s poorest nations and the newest countries to have discovered oil which it hopes will boost the economy. Now though, it is clear the country needs more than oil cash. Good governance, peace and stability are priceless if ordinary Mauritanians want to benefit from the black gold.